In a typical electrical distribution system, electrical energy is generated by an electrical supplier or utility company and distributed to consumers via a power distribution network. The power distribution network is the network of electrical distribution wires which link the electrical supplier to its consumers. Typically, electricity from a utility is fed from a primary substation over a distribution cable to several local substations. At the substations, the supply is transformed by distribution transformers from a relatively high voltage on the distributor cable to a lower voltage at which it is supplied to the end consumer. From the substations, the power is provided to industrial users over a distributed power network that supplies power to various loads. Such loads may include, for example, various power machines.
At the consumer""s facility, there will typically be an electrical energy meter (xe2x80x9crevenue meterxe2x80x9d) connected between the consumer and the power distribution network so as to measure the consumer""s electrical demand. The revenue meter is an electrical energy measurement device which accurately measures the amount of electrical energy flowing to the consumer from the supplier. The amount of electrical energy measured by the meter is then used to determine the amount for which the energy supplier should be compensated.
Electricity meters, specifically revenue meters, have been developed to provide techniques for accurately measuring the amount of power used by the consumer so that the consumer is charged an appropriate amount and so that the utility company receives appropriate compensation for the power delivered and used by the consumer. Examples of such metering systems are-well known in the art.
Recent deregulation of the power industry, and the increased power prices and rolling blackouts that have followed, have increased the need for electricity meters to measure and control the power consumption of utilities and consumers. However, with the increased use of digital electric meters and other intelligent electronic devices, power failures and rolling blackouts have caused problems with these devices losing data or failing dialing out to report the blackout before the device power is lost.
Accordingly there is a need for a electricity meter or device that is capable of reporting a power failure after the power has been lost to the device.
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims. By way of introduction, the preferred embodiments described below relate to an electricity meter. The electricity meter comprises an input for receiving operating power from an external power source; and a communications device coupled with the input and operative to receive the operating power. The communications device includes at least one capacitor operative to store energy from the input when the operating power is received and supply the stored energy to the communications device when the operating power is not received.
The preferred embodiments further relate to a method of communicating data from an energy meter coupled with an operating power source during a failure of the operating power source, the energy meter comprising a communications device. In one embodiment, the method comprises charging an energy storage device from the operating power source, the energy storage device fixedly attached and coupled with the communications device; monitoring the energy meter for the failure; powering the communication device from the energy storage device during the power failure; transmitting a message with the communications device during the power failure.
Further aspects and advantages of the invention are discussed below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments.